Attaching "eco-bling" such as wind turbines or solar panels to buildings will not help the UK cut the carbon emissions from buildings fast enough to meet the government's ambitious targets, engineers warned yesterday (19 January). They also said the building industry will "struggle" to meet requirements to make all new buildings zero-carbon by 2020 because of a lack of skilled workers who understand how energy is used, and therefore saved, in buildings. Click here for full story

British Gas yesterday announced that it has selected 14 local communities to participate in its £2m "Green Streets" programme to trial community-scale micro-generation and energy efficiency initiatives, the most successful of which it hopes to roll out more widely across the UK. The participating communities, which were chosen from a list of 100 potential candidates, will compete in a year-long challenge to see which project can deliver the deepest and most efficient cuts in energy usage and carbon emissions. Click here for full story

Energy from whisky? Lovers of the amber spirit may think it sounds like the environmental movement's worst-ever idea, but the Scottish island of Islay is pioneering a system that uses whisky to create green energy. Bruichladdich Distillery is to build an anaerobic digester to convert thousands of tonnes of yeasty waste into methane gas, which will be burned to make electricity. Click here for full story

The Scottish Government has published a consultation on extending permitted development rights for domestic micro-wind turbines and air-source heat pumps to encourage greater take-up of the renewable technologies. A permitted development (PD) is one where planning permission is granted as a right and there is no need to apply to the planning authority. Click here for full story

Disappointment at the outcome of climate talks in Copenhagen must not distract from the urgent job of building a low-carbon economy in the UK. We believe the generation of small-scale renewable energy can make a substantial contribution to this objective, but are concerned by the lack of ambition of the government's proposed feed-in tariff scheme. This currently aims to generate just 2% of the UK's electricity from small-scale renewable sources by 2020. [Letter signed by 26 renewable energy/environmental experts]. Click here for full story

Made from girders no more. Irn-Bru, the iconic fizzy drink imbibed by generations of Scots, will now be manufactured by soft Atlantic breezes. Owners AG Barr are turning production of the orange-coloured drink green by harnessing the power of the prevailing westerly winds. The company has just received planning permission to erect a £2.5 million turbine to provide most of the electricity from wind power at its Cumbernauld factory. Click here for full story

The world's southernmost wind farm has been opened in Antarctica, the first in what could be a number of renewable energy projects aimed to lower the frozen continent's reliance on diesel for power. The construction of the three-turbine Ross Island wind farm was a huge challenge in an environment where the temperature can fall as low as -57 degrees Celsius. Click here for full story

Pyecombe Golf Club, which already holds awards for its environmental management policy, is about to go greener with the installation of a ground source heat pump which will significantly reduce its carbon footprint. Click here for full story

A lighting system developed by a Yorkshire company could one day replace traditional sodium street lights across the UK. Carbon Reduction Technology (CRT) claims its LED lighting system dubbed ‘e-lamp’ uses up to 75 per cent less electricity than traditional sodium street lights and is much more efficient than other LED lights on the market. Click here for full story

Residents of the small Hebridean island of Eigg have won part of a £1m green energy prize after building their own renewable electricity grid and slashing their carbon emissions by a third in a year. The island south of Skye, with just 95 residents, won £300,000 after installing a combined wind, solar and hydro-powered electricity supply dubbed Eiggtricity which has allowed its residents to become almost entirely self-sufficient in electricity and heavily cut their use of coal and gas. Click here for full story

Wales has missed out on the chance to create manufacturing jobs in green energy, says the head of a renewable energy company. The commercial director of Cardiff-based Eco2 will tell an assembly committee that Wales is an unattractive place for green firms to invest. Click here for full story

East Midlands Airport bosses say they hope to have four giant wind turbines built by the end of this year. Planning permission was granted for the 45m high electricity-generating structures on the site near Castle Donington two years ago, but construction is yet to start. Click here for full story

She’s one of the oldest Clydebuilt vessels still afloat, but Glasgow’s Tall Ship is getting a 21st-century makeover that puts her leagues ahead of modern competition. The Glenlee will be one of the first structures in Scotland to benefit from technology that draws heat from river water, cutting energy bills and reducing harmful emissions to near zero. Click here for full story

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has published guidance to inform producers of biogas of the legal, technical and regulatory requirements of injecting renewable gas into Britain's gas grid. Click here for full story

The UK’s first international trading service for medium to large-scale users and producers of biomass pellets has launched – racking up a million tonnes of supply and demand requests in its first week of trading. Click here for full story

“A hydrogen station in every home” is a futuristic vision that is about to become a reality this week as Horizon Fuel Cell Technologies unveils what could be its biggest breakthrough to date: a small home hydrogen refueling and storage solution that could begin our transition to a hydrogen-based economy. Click here for full story

The global construction products company Kingspan is calling on the Government to fully recognise the scope for photovoltaic renewable energy to cut carbon, reduce costs for business and create thousands of jobs in the UK. Together with the Renewable Energy Association and solar panel manufacturer Romag, Kingspan believe the Government has significantly under-estimated the scope of the UK market for Building Integrated Photovoltaic systems (BIPVs) in non-domestic buildings. Click here for full story

Pensioners looking to take advantage of the scheme have been urged to check first if they are eligible for a Warm Front grant – or risk missing out on £3,500. Pensioners and low-income households receiving benefits can apply for help purchasing and installing a new boiler under the Warm Front scheme, which could cover the cost in full. Click here for full story

A new food security strategy released by the government yesterday (January 5) has warned that the energy sector could clash with the farming sector in the future as they compete for land on which to grow crops for bioenergy and food. The document, entitled Food 2030, which has been developed to ensure food security for the UK by 2030 and integrate food policy across the UK, warned that competition between to two sectors was a problem. Click here for full story

The North East is set to become a hub for the development of low-carbon technology in the UK with the launch of another pioneering project. The New and Renewable Energy Centre (Narec) at Blyth will launch its Business Support in Micro-renewables project for small and medium-sized enterprises. Micro-renewable technologies generate energy on a small scale, for example electricity capacity of up to 50kW or heat capacity up to 45kW. The project will cover a huge range of micro-generation, from solar thermal, combined heat and power systems to wind turbines and biomass. Click here for full story

Black & Veatch is making plans to upgrade a UK wastewater treatment plant that would produce a new renewable energy source for the National Grid. The global engineering, consulting, and construction company received a £75 million ($120 million) contract for one of Europe’s largest wastewater treatment plants, Davyhulme Wastewater Treatment Works in Manchester, according to Construction News. Click here for full story

Energy efficiency is likely to be on the agenda in 2010 for one member of the royal family, it is reported. Prince Charles is reported to be considering having solar panels installed on to the roof of his London property Clarence House in a bid to improve his energy efficiency through the renewable energy technology. Click here for full story

Thousands of Scots will miss out on a scheme to give them money towards a new central hearing boiler, it was claimed. Downing Street launched a boiler scrappage scheme yesterday similar to the one launched earlier in the year for old cars. Click here for full story

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband will today (5 January) kick start a national scheme to upgrade household heating systems to cut carbon, save money on fuel bills and sustain work for the heating industry. Click here for full story

Some of Britain's leading firms are partnering top academic institutions to develop projects that will overhaul household energy, water, transport and waste provision to drastically cut carbon emissions. The groundbreaking partnership, led by Arup's global planning chief, Peter Head, involves 25 international companies including GE (the world's biggest company, according to Forbes). HSBC, French energy firm EDF, Thames Water, Marks & Spencer and waste management firm Biffa are also behind the plan. Click here for full story

Looking to get a head start on that New Year's resolution to lose weight? Well, if you're in Manhattan, Duracell can help with that, and you can help generate some renewable energy while you're at it. According to Inhabitat, Duracell set up its Smart Power Lab in Times Square. Volunteer can pedal stationary bikes called Power Rovers, which will then generate the electricity needed to light up the thousands of LED lights covering those giant "2010" numerals that blaze after the ball drops on New Year's Eve. Click here for full story

A Tees Valley waste management company has rounded off a successful 2009 by announcing a multi-million pound revamp. A £25m upgrade of SITA UK’s Haverton Hill Energy from Waste plant is about to go out to tender. Earlier this year, the company unveiled a £70m extension to the Stockton facility. Bosses have also secured approval from Stockton Council for a £120m state-of-the-art project - the North East Energy Recovery Centre (NEERC), to be built next-door. Click here for full story

Wallpaper that can glow with light and bendable flat-panel screens are a step closer thanks to research into organic LEDs (OLEDs), which are widely hailed as the next generation of environmentally friendly lighting technology. Click here for full story

The Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA) predicts that farmers, commercial operators and local authorities will build 1000 anaerobic digestion biogas plants in the next five years at a cost of £5 billion, mostly funded by the private sector. Click here for full story

A Northumberland farm is leading the field in a pioneering £1.8million energy project. Cockle Park Farm, near Tritlington, is at the forefront of a scheme which converts manure from pigs and cattle into green energy. The Newcastle University project, which has been part funded by an £860,000 grant from the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE), will show off a state-of-the-art anaerobic digester, as well as provide advice, support and guidance. Click here for full story

A decade of hard work has paid off for fundraisers at a Moray mill after they reached the £3.5million target needed to restore the landmark. The Knockando Wool Mill Trust was given the final £96,000 it needed by the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (Cares) and will start work by the end of January. Click here for full story

An off-grid Community in the UK has been awarded £350,000 of central government money to help it spread its low-carbon lifestyle to families across the country. The Lammas project in the Welsh hills involving nine “ordinary” families living in eco smallholdings in the Preseli Hills, Pembrokeshire, has been named by the UK Department of Energy and Climate Change as one of 10 low-carbon communities. Click here for full story

Blackpool-based renewable energy company Farmgen has earmarked a farm for a new environmentally-friendly power generation scheme. Dryholme Farm, in Silloth, Cumbria, has been purchased with a view to creating an Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plant. Click here for full story

Concerns about costs are putting nearly two-thirds of residents off the idea of renewable energy at home, according to a new study. The Energy Saving Trust found that 60 per cent of residents surveyed in Edinburgh and the Lothians said they would consider technology like solar panels but are put off by what they think it would cost. But the trust also found that 70 per cent of those surveyed did not know that there are grants available to help cover the costs. Click here for full story

There is little to distinguish Catrine, a remote former mill town in Ayrshire, from many other declining Scottish communities……. Yet residents are preparing to fight back. The community is among 28 across the UK, including four others in Scotland, that are battling to take part in a new BBC reality television show that could help to lift the town out of the mire…..The big idea in Catrine… is to restore its 19th- century reputation for technological innovation with a pioneering renewable energy scheme, including Scotland’s first environmentally-friendly recycling facility, converting used cooking oil into biofuel. Click here for full story

….By 2020, 15pc of our energy must come from renewable sources. So perhaps we should start seeing our waste as a 'resource'. Energy from Waste (EfW) is a process where energy is derived from the burning of waste. The combustion process produces highpressure steam that can be converted to electrical power by the use of a turbine and generator. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers reckons the EfW technology could eventually provide a fifth of the nation's electricity. Click here for full story

Three quarters of Scots would consider fitting a solar panel or other renewable technology to their home but are put off by the cost, a report says. The Energy Saving Trust in Scotland said people were becoming more aware of energy use around the home. Click here for full story

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has made a step towards improving climate control by erecting a wind turbine in its garden at Harlow Carr in Harrogate. The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has made a step towards improving climate control by erecting a wind turbine in its garden at Harlow Carr in Harrogate. Click here for full story

West Oxford could become one of the UK's first Low Carbon Communities after a local group won £500,000 in a competition. West Oxford Community Renewables plans to use the grant to pay for solar panels and a wind turbine.

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Eco-campaigners say they aim to make Oxford the green capital of the UK with the help of a £500,000 Government grant. Community group Low Carbon West Oxford started life in 2007, when four women sat around a kitchen table to discuss the floods that had damaged dozens of homes in the area. Click here for full story